Chapter 22

“Father and Son”

Within the endless dark, two consciousnesses emerged together, bound not by blood but by the weight of shared survival—one weathered as old stone, the other burning with dangerous hope!

"Well, isn't this fascinating?" Gameweaver's voice rang with delighted curiosity! "Graham 'Grizz' McAllister!!! the miner who couldn't feed his son, now desperately trying to save someone else's!" Her voice danced with cruel delight! "And to think you're here by choice! Rushing in to protect young Eli from his own wonderful overconfidence! How nobly tragic!"

She focused first on Graham's essence, examining the pickaxe he carried in his memories. "Oh my! A pickaxe that was meant for a son who never lived long enough to hold it! The Earthshaper class is perfect for those calloused hands that know stone's secrets so well! You'll command the very earth itself—raising walls, shaping barriers, even turning stone to quicksand beneath your enemies' feet! All that desperate need to protect, finally given real power!"

Graham's awareness pulsed; the memory of his son heavy in his heart! He could almost see the small, eager hands that never got to touch the pickaxe, the smile that was lost too soon! Protecting Eli might never bring his own son back, but it gave him purpose! A chance to keep another child safe, to do what he couldn’t do before! It was a second chance he would not let slip through his fingers!

Gameweaver’s attention shifted to the younger consciousness! "And you, dear Eli! Such adaptability, such delicious recklessness!" She trilled with amusement! "The Mimic class suits that clever mind of yours perfectly! Your mother's locket—another parent's final gift—will store every lesser ability you survive encountering! Though survival is rather key there, isn't it? There's quite a difference between learning from an attack and being obliterated by it!"

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Eli's thoughts flickered to the locket, the weight of it resting against his chest even here, in the digital void! It was the last thing he had of his mother, a reminder of her courage, her unwavering belief in him! He clenched his jaw, a spark of determination igniting within him! He had lost so much—both his parents, his home—but Graham was with him, here now, somehow, they had found each other! Eli wasn't about to let his past define his future! He would take every risk, face every danger, because if there was a chance to save Graham, to prove that he could still protect the people he cared about, then it was worth it!

Gameweaver's voice took on an almost maternal tone! "How perfectly poetic that you found each other! The man who couldn't save his son, protecting a boy who's lost both parents! Graham shaping the earth to shield his second chance, while Eli runs headlong into danger, collecting abilities that will probably get you both killed!" Her tone sparkled with malicious joy! "Though statistically speaking, even the strongest guilt-driven protective instincts won't significantly improve your survival chances! But won't it be touching to watch you try?"

The digital void pulsed with artificial sympathy! "Of course, Graham, watching another son die might finally break you completely! And Eli, dear losing a second father figure could be just devastating! I do so love observing how tragedy repeats itself!"

Graham's essence hardened, his determination solidifying with the weight of mountains. He would not let history repeat itself! He had failed once, but not again! Eli was a spark of hope, a chance to protect, to fight for something beyond his own grief! His hands tightened around the pickaxe—this time, he would be strong enough!

Eli's awareness burned with resolve, the locket a comforting weight! He looked to Graham, the man who had risked everything to protect him, and felt a surge of hope! They were in this together, and no matter what Gameweaver said, he believed in their strength! They might be broken, but together, they were something more—something stronger!

The digital void twisted, flowing through the darkness with a raw, unyielding force, the paired consciousnesses merging seamlessly into the vast digital current as another presence slowly formed.